CBD FOR SLEEP

CBD for SLEEP

by Tatiana Melendez

Do you ever lie awake at night, hour after hour, not being able to fall asleep?

Or maybe you have been diagnosed with insomnia? Whatever the situation is, not enough sleep affects your daily routine. However, a good night’s sleep is also essential to our overall health and wellbeing. Experts recommend adults sleep seven to nine hours each night; therefore, proper sleep ensures you feel well-rested and have energy for the next day.

A good night’s rest also contributes to memory formation, helps grow and repair muscle and tissue, and prevents sickness.

There are different types of sleep issues that people experience. For example, some people cannot fall asleep at night, and others wake up after only a few hours of rest. Here are a few of the most common types of sleep issues below.

INSOMNIA.

Insomnia means that you have a hard time falling or staying asleep throughout the night, which can impair your ability to stay awake during daytime hours.

PARASOMNIA.

May include walking, talking, eating while in bed, or making other disruptive sounds while sleeping at night.

SLEEP APNEA.

It happens when a person ceases breathing for short periods while sleeping at night. Sleep apnea does not necessarily occur consistently. However, this condition can be lifethreatening if the person stops breathing for more extended periods.

Some people wake up after only three or four hours of sleep because they constantly move around, often without knowing it’s happening. This kind of issue is known as restless leg syndrome. RLS affects roughly seven to ten percent of the population.

Some causes of RLS are neuropathy, use of alcohol, iron deficiency, and certain medications like antidepressants and anti-nausea drugs.

As many as seventy percent of Americans report not sleeping the recommended hours, and nearly onethird of American workers sleep less than six hours per night! Of course, people who suffer from these disorders experience the ability to concentrate and bad moods. It seems to be more common than we think. . Another never-ending cycle due to poor sleep is anxiety. People suffer from anxiety about getting inadequate sleep, increasing sleeplessness at night. According to multiple studies, things that can cause you to lose sleep come in the forms of:

So, how are people combating sleepless nights? One increasingly popular strategy for a good night’s rest is taking cannabidiol (CBD).

CBD is a derivative of cannabis, and it is commonly used to improve sleep and decrease anxiety.

Cannabinoids are chemical compounds that bind or attach to specific receptors in the central nervous system and act as chemical messengers. Depending on the particular cannabinoid, it may have varied effects on the body. For those new to this subject, CBD differs from THC and does not cause psychoactive effects or a “high” because it does not cause psychoactive effects. CBD may also promote homeostasis in the body, which potentially supports sleep. Homeostasis is a process in which the body does its best to maintain equilibrium or balance. As a result, CBD might help promote homeostasis so that your body does not overreact when something stressful happens during the day.

In another study published in The Permanente Journal, seventy-two adults with anxiety and poor sleep were involved. The participants completed anxiety and sleep assessments at the start of the research and the firstmonth follow-up. The participants were given 25 mg of CBD in capsule form.

Those that predominantly had sleep complaints took the dose in the evening. Participants that had anxiety as their predominant complaint took CBD in the morning. After the first month, anxiety scores decreased by seventy-nine percent of people. Sleep scores improved sixty-six percent of the participants, which indicated less trouble sleeping.

The results suggest that CBD decreased sleep difficulties in many of the participants. But while the decrease in anxiety symptoms remained steady for the duration of the study, the sleep scores fluctuated over time. How does the Food Drug Administration (FDA) feel about CBD? Well, it is still too early to tell.

FDA relies on applicants and scientific investigators to conduct research. The agency’s role is to review data submitted to the FDA in an application for approval to ensure that the drug product meets the statutory standards for support. Only a few cannabis derived or cannabis related drug products are FDA-approved in the U.S., such as Epidiolex.

Remember to consult with your doctor before consuming CBD products. They will be able to guide you through the process.

Here are a few other CBD products that have been approved by FDA:

Mental health disorders, such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression

medication, which can disturb your sleep-wake cycle

physical conditions, such as chronic pain

caffeine

environmental factors, such as loud noises or an uncomfortable be

environmental factors, such as loud noises or an uncomfortable bed

Epidolex.

is an oral CBD solution and was the first drug containing a purified cannabis derived substance approved by the FDA. The drug is approved for seizure treatment in rare and severe forms of epilepsy, Dravet syndrome, LennoxGastaut syndrome, and tuberous sclerosis complex for patients ages two and up.

Marinol and Syndros.

These two drugs contain dronabinol, a synthetic form of THC. They come in capsules or oral solutions. Dronabinol affects the part of the brain that controls appetite, nausea, and vomiting, so the drugs have several therapeutic uses. These uses include the treatment of nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients and weight loss treatment in patients with HIV.

Cesamet.

Cesamet contains nabilone, a synthetic compound with a chemical structure like THC. Like dronabinol, this capsule also affects the part of the brain that controls vomiting and nausea. The drug is prescribed to chemotherapy patients who have not responded to other nausea and vomiting treatments.